Opposition Leader Lapid vows to give government ‘safety net’ for any hostage deal

In an apparent attempt to counter Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s threat to bring down the government if a “reckless” deal is reached with Hamas over the hostages, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid announces that his Yesh Atid party will give its backing to “any deal that brings the hostages home.”

The promise to “give the government a safety net” comes as reports have been swirling around the possibility of the sides soon reaching an agreement that could see the release of thousands of Palestinian security prisoners and a long halt in the fighting in Gaza in return for the hostages being held in the Strip. Right-wing politicians have strongly criticized many of the reported details.

Lapid says returning the abductees is “our duty to them and their families,” or else “something fundamental will erode in our bond with one another, the bond between the nation and its land, and certainly the basic trust between citizens and the government.”

Some Hebrew media outlets assess that this means that Yesh Atid would join the government to help approve a deal, staying there for a set period of time.